Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at 6:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at 6:11 p.m.

From the outside, Timothy Deegan's house seems like all the others in the well-to-do neighborhood. Every house seems to have similarly manicured lawns and expensive shrubbery.

Inside the home at 2676 NW 106th Way, investigators say, the well-known accountant led a sordid life of sexual assault, drugs and terror.

Deegan, they allege, kept three women trapped in virtual slavery for months, prostituting them, videotaping sex acts that he would then put online, and giving them drugs in exchange for sex and keeping his house clean.

Deegan, 53, the owner of Deegan Professional Tax Service, was arrested Friday on three counts of human trafficking and booked into the Alachua County jail, where he remained Tuesday on $300,000 bond.

According to a sworn complaint filed by the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force, the CPA kept the women terrified as he increasingly took control of their lives. He set up traps inside his house and made weapons to threaten the women and prevent them from leaving, records show.

The women had all met Deegan in 2013 through a website where the women booked clients as sex workers. At first, Deegan would record sex acts involving the women and stream the videos onto an adult website. He then began prostituting them, providing transportation and booking hotels for the women and taking the money they earned, paying them with cocaine instead, the complaint said.

Soon, he had taken control of their lives, authorities said.

Records show he monitored their movements using a GPS on their cellphones. He called them when they were at places he felt they shouldn't be. He hid small cameras around his home so that he could monitor the women and record sex acts without them knowing, the complaint said.

In December 2013, one of the women called the Alachua County Sheriff's Office to report that she had found a video that Deegan had recorded of him raping her while she was incapacitated on prescribed sleeping medication, the complaint said.

Two of the women later told detectives that Deegan had showed them letters from other women accusing him of drugging them and then sexually battering them, the complaint said.

Deegan was arrested on a sexual battery charge and later released from the Alachua County jail on a $250,000 bond. Officials later decided to consolidate the charge into the human trafficking charges, Alachua County court records showed.

Neighbors in the Meadowbrook Ridge subdivision — consisting of two streets ending in cul-de-sacs — said they are concerned about his release and the ongoing activity.

"Almost everyone here has young children," said resident Cindy Schirmer. "It was really kind of nerve-wracking."

After Deegan was released, detectives with the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force began investigating him and uncovered affiliations with several known drug dealers, the complaint states.

Detectives said Deegan would lease vehicles for drug dealers to transport illegal drugs, and they would later pay him with cocaine.

One of the alleged dealers that Deegan was associated with, Vonzell Howard, was arrested on eight charges not related to Deegan's case and remains at the jail in lieu of a $3,655,100 bond.

In April, detectives arrested Deegan for cocaine possession and possession of drug equipment and he was released on his own recognizance in May, according to court records. On Tuesday, officials determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges, court records said, but Deegan remains jailed on the human trafficking charges.

In 2008, Deegan was charged with cocaine possession, narcotics equipment possession and keeping a shop for drugs. He was later sent to a drug court diversion program, records show.

The Sun called Deegan's tax service business Tuesday morning, but a woman who picked up the phone at the business said Deegan's associates would not comment.

No one answered the door at his home Tuesday evening. State Attorney's Office spokesman Darry Lloyd said the office has not determined yet if they will file more charges against Deegan.

Court records show Deegan is scheduled to appear in court June 24 for an arraignment hearing regarding the human trafficking charges.

Deegan's house, complete with statuary of St. Francis and two lions, was under close watch by neighbors.

One man, who did not want to give his name out of fear of retaliation, said he would hear screaming and yelling in the home, saw women lying in the grass, people coming and going throughout the night and other activity he considered disturbing.

"About three weeks ago, a car followed my daughter as she walked through the neighborhood, then the car pulled over to his house. When I heard human trafficking, he could have been looking for my daughter," the man said. "One night a truck drove up and dropped this girl off in the driveway. She was in a fetal position, moaning. Girls were screaming over there. Some of them would be outside on the phone, and they would be cursing."

Neighbors said they would exchange pleasantries with Deegan but none could recall a conversation of more than a minute or so. They added that he did not attend neighborhood events.

George Shorter, president of the Meadowbrook Ridge homeowners association, said the neighbors were powerless to do anything other than keep residents informed, perhaps put up a security gate, or call police — which he said was done on multiple occasions.

"We really live in complete ignorance. I hate to say it but the shocking thing is we really knew so little about what went on in his house. It's maintained from the outside. It's one of the distinct properties in the neighborhood," Shorter said. "The first incident … happened months and months ago. And he kept returning, and more things would happen. A lot of us are questioning, why was this guy allowed to come back and live in our community?"

<p>From the outside, Timothy Deegan's house seems like all the others in the well-to-do neighborhood. Every house seems to have similarly manicured lawns and expensive shrubbery.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Inside the home at 2676 NW 106th Way, investigators say, the well-known accountant led a sordid life of sexual assault, drugs and terror.</p><p>Deegan, they allege, kept three women trapped in virtual slavery for months, prostituting them, videotaping sex acts that he would then put online, and giving them drugs in exchange for sex and keeping his house clean.</p><p>Deegan, 53, the owner of Deegan Professional Tax Service, was arrested Friday on three counts of human trafficking and booked into the Alachua County jail, where he remained Tuesday on $300,000 bond.</p><p>According to a sworn complaint filed by the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force, the CPA kept the women terrified as he increasingly took control of their lives. He set up traps inside his house and made weapons to threaten the women and prevent them from leaving, records show.</p><p>The women had all met Deegan in 2013 through a website where the women booked clients as sex workers. At first, Deegan would record sex acts involving the women and stream the videos onto an adult website. He then began prostituting them, providing transportation and booking hotels for the women and taking the money they earned, paying them with cocaine instead, the complaint said.</p><p>Soon, he had taken control of their lives, authorities said.</p><p>Records show he monitored their movements using a GPS on their cellphones. He called them when they were at places he felt they shouldn't be. He hid small cameras around his home so that he could monitor the women and record sex acts without them knowing, the complaint said.</p><p>In December 2013, one of the women called the Alachua County Sheriff's Office to report that she had found a video that Deegan had recorded of him raping her while she was incapacitated on prescribed sleeping medication, the complaint said.</p><p>Two of the women later told detectives that Deegan had showed them letters from other women accusing him of drugging them and then sexually battering them, the complaint said.</p><p>Deegan was arrested on a sexual battery charge and later released from the Alachua County jail on a $250,000 bond. Officials later decided to consolidate the charge into the human trafficking charges, Alachua County court records showed.</p><p>Neighbors in the Meadowbrook Ridge subdivision — consisting of two streets ending in cul-de-sacs — said they are concerned about his release and the ongoing activity.</p><p>"Almost everyone here has young children," said resident Cindy Schirmer. "It was really kind of nerve-wracking."</p><p>After Deegan was released, detectives with the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force began investigating him and uncovered affiliations with several known drug dealers, the complaint states.</p><p>Detectives said Deegan would lease vehicles for drug dealers to transport illegal drugs, and they would later pay him with cocaine.</p><p>One of the alleged dealers that Deegan was associated with, Vonzell Howard, was arrested on eight charges not related to Deegan's case and remains at the jail in lieu of a $3,655,100 bond.</p><p>In April, detectives arrested Deegan for cocaine possession and possession of drug equipment and he was released on his own recognizance in May, according to court records. On Tuesday, officials determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges, court records said, but Deegan remains jailed on the human trafficking charges.</p><p>In 2008, Deegan was charged with cocaine possession, narcotics equipment possession and keeping a shop for drugs. He was later sent to a drug court diversion program, records show.</p><p>The Sun called Deegan's tax service business Tuesday morning, but a woman who picked up the phone at the business said Deegan's associates would not comment.</p><p>No one answered the door at his home Tuesday evening. State Attorney's Office spokesman Darry Lloyd said the office has not determined yet if they will file more charges against Deegan.</p><p>Court records show Deegan is scheduled to appear in court June 24 for an arraignment hearing regarding the human trafficking charges.</p><p>Deegan's house, complete with statuary of St. Francis and two lions, was under close watch by neighbors.</p><p>One man, who did not want to give his name out of fear of retaliation, said he would hear screaming and yelling in the home, saw women lying in the grass, people coming and going throughout the night and other activity he considered disturbing.</p><p>"About three weeks ago, a car followed my daughter as she walked through the neighborhood, then the car pulled over to his house. When I heard human trafficking, he could have been looking for my daughter," the man said. "One night a truck drove up and dropped this girl off in the driveway. She was in a fetal position, moaning. Girls were screaming over there. Some of them would be outside on the phone, and they would be cursing."</p><p>Neighbors said they would exchange pleasantries with Deegan but none could recall a conversation of more than a minute or so. They added that he did not attend neighborhood events.</p><p>George Shorter, president of the Meadowbrook Ridge homeowners association, said the neighbors were powerless to do anything other than keep residents informed, perhaps put up a security gate, or call police — which he said was done on multiple occasions.</p><p>"We really live in complete ignorance. I hate to say it but the shocking thing is we really knew so little about what went on in his house. It's maintained from the outside. It's one of the distinct properties in the neighborhood," Shorter said. "The first incident … happened months and months ago. And he kept returning, and more things would happen. A lot of us are questioning, why was this guy allowed to come back and live in our community?"</p>